Member Events

Earlier this week at The Heritage Foundation’s 40th Anniversary Leadership Celebration, Hillsdale College President Larry Arnn paid a special tribute to former Heritage President Ed Feulner.

Arnn presented Feulner with a book by Winston Churchill, a first American edition. Arnn told him that there’s something Ed has in common with the men in Churchill’s book: “They’re all great, they did something significant.”

Last week, The Heritage Foundation hosted an exclusive call for Heritage members with Heritage president-elect Jim DeMint and Heritage President Edwin Feulner. During the call, Feulner and DeMint took member questions about Heritage’s 40-year history and DeMint’s plans for the future.

Heritage Foundation expert James Carafano will lead Heritage’s team of foreign and defense policy analysts, Heritage’s Board announced today.

As Vice President for Foreign and Defense Policy Studies, Carafano will replace Kim Holmes, who has led the team for nearly 25 years. Holmes will be taking on a new role as Distinguished Fellow of the Heritage Foundation.

Carafano, an expert on defense, intelligence and homeland security issues, will also assume the title of Director of our Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for International Studies. Continue Reading »

Heritage Foundation distinguished fellow Ernest Istook has been at the forefront of American politics since he won his first election in Oklahoma in 1982. He later served 14 years in the U.S. House of Representatives before coming to Heritage in 2007. Today, he frequently fills in as a host of several major national talk radio programs and writes weekly opinion columns for Newsmax, Human Events and the Daily Caller.

In the coming weeks, Istook will be launching Istook Live!, a conservative talk radio program broadcast from The Heritage Foundation’s offices discussing the day’s most relevant topics and featuring conservative leaders as guests.

Before the show officially launches, Istook wanted to give an exclusive preview to Heritage Foundation Members. If you would like exclusive information and access to Istook Live!, sign up on the form below to be the first to hear about special guests, opportunities to call in with your questions and comments, and station launch information.

In an event at The Heritage Foundation last week, Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) outlined his comprehensive plan to reform Medicaid, one of the three big programs driving America’s spending problem.

Medicaid, Hatch explained, was originally designed to provide a safety net for the poor, but it is now an entitlement cushion for a quarter of the American population. The program, he said, is a “massive target for waste, fraud, and abuse.” And it is no longer fulfilling its own objectives.

So, what positive change is needed to make this system functional? State flexibility.

Hatch explained that there is clear evidence that the states know best what kind of health care their residents need. Governors and state legislators understand the needs, culture and values of their respective states. And yet, the federal government continues to micromanage health care – even requiring states to ask permission before making small adjustments.

The goal of any Medicaid reforms should be two-fold: save money and improve care for patients. Some states have already begun innovative solutions that are positioning them to take the lead on improving healthcare. Why not allow other states to pursue their own paths to success?

The critical flaw of Medicaid is that it treats people who are poor as though they are incapable of taking care of themselves. Hatch is determined to get the program back on track and promote personal responsibility for future generations.